Vermont State Police released this photo of Helen Holmes, who has been missing since Friday.

TOWNSHEND — Police are continuing to look for a local woman who has been missing since Friday because they are “concerned for her safety.”

Helen Holmes, 59, a registered nurse who works at Grace Cottage Hospital, has not been in contact with friends or family since leaving her home around 9 a.m. Friday, according to troopers with the Vermont State Police barracks in Brattleboro.

A press release sent out Sunday said police were looking for assistance from the public in locating Holmes who was believed to be driving a red, 2010 Subaru Forester with the Vermont license plate, DAK 316.

On Monday, police released updated information saying the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation is taking the lead on the case.

Stephanie Dasaro, a spokeswoman for the Vermont State Police, said troopers were busy Monday trying to talk to as many family members and friends as possible.

Dasaro said she didn’t know how many officers were involved in searching for Holmes but she said at least four detectives were actively part of the search. Police said detectives were following “financial information” and checking several places where Holmes may have gone.

Information about the case, including images of Holmes and information about the car police believe she is driving, has been distributed across Vermont so troopers from other areas can “keep their eyes open” for Holmes as well, Dasaro said.

According to the police, the first request to check on Holmes was received around 2 p.m. Friday because she did not arrive for a scheduled appointment.

Dasaro said she didn’t know if Holmes had ever gone missing before and said she had no information that police suspected foul play. At this point, Dasaro said, police are concerned for Holmes’ safety because of the unusual circumstances and are just hoping to learn more about her location.

Over the weekend, troopers conducted several unsuccessful searches for Holmes near her home on Plumb Road in Townshend. Police also found nothing when checking other areas that might have had significance to her and monitoring her cellphone, financial activity and social media.

Holmes has a Facebook page which was last updated on Sept. 3. There are many references on the page to her love of animals.

Her husband, Steven St. Peter, also has a Facebook page on which he’s posted a news story about the disappearance with a request that readers share it as widely as possible. Under a photo of St. Peter and Holmes, a message has been posted that reads, “Praying for her safe return into your arms.”

Another post, from a woman who said she is St. Peter’s daughter said Holmes “has suffered from depression” and those who knew her “are so very worried about her and her welfare.”

“Helen is a wonderful woman and loved me as her own and she stood by my father taking care of him through his sickness and then his liver transplant. She loved the time she got to spend with her granddaughters ... We are all praying God will intervene and His will will be done into finding her safely,” wrote Annette Lawrence.

Anyone who has any information about Holmes or her location or anyone who might have seen her since the morning of Sept. 6 is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Barbara Zonay at the Vermont State Police barracks in Brattleboro at 254-2382.

Information can also be sent anonymously by sending a text message to 274637, or “CRIMES,” and using the keyword, “VTIPS” or online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.